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"[A] finely crafted new entry...[Rankin] is as tireless in delivering the goods as his creation is in solving tough cases."

―Kirkus

"With its trademark blend of sharp wit and even sharper police work, this entry is yet another example of why Rankin remains in the top echelon of Scottish crime writers."

―Publishers Weekly

"One of the best things in crime fiction for years, but Rankin kicks it up several notches here."

―Booklist (Starred Review)

CFA Master Class: Ian Rankin

Tuesday February 7, 201707:00 pm

Tags: Event

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Ian Rankin’s spectacular Rebus series turns 30 this year, and we’re delighted to welcome him to the Center as part of the celebrations. In this CFA Master Class, Rankin will delve into his decades of experience writing crime fiction, and talk about the latest installment in the series, Rather Be the Devil.

About Rather Be the Devil:

As he settles into an uneasy retirement, Rebus has given up his favorite vices. There's just one habit he can't shake: he can't let go of an unsolved case. It's the only pastime he has left and up until now, it's the only one that wasn't threatening to kill him. But when Rebus starts reexamining the facts behind the long-ago murder of a glamorous woman at a luxurious hotel - on the same night a famous rock star and his entourage where also staying there - the past comes roaring back to life with a vengeance.

And as soon as Rebus starts asking questions about the long forgotten crime, a fresh body materializes. His inquiries reunite him with his old pals-Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox-as they attempt to uncover the financial chicanery behind the savage beating of an upstart gangster, a crime that suggests the notorious old school crime boss Big Ger Cafferty has taken to retirement as poorly as Rebus himself.

As he connects the mysteries of the past to the those of the present, Rebus learns - the hard way - that he's not the only one with an insatiable curiosity about what happened in that hotel room forty years ago, and that someone will stop at nothing to ensure that the crime remains ancient history.

A twisted tale of power, corruption, and bitter rivalries in the dark heart of Edinburgh, Rather Be the Devil showcases Rankin and Rebus at their unstoppable best.

Ian Rankin was born in Cardenden, Fife. His father, James, owned a grocery shop, and his mother, Isobel, worked in a school canteen. He was educated at Beath High School, Cowdenbeath. His parents were horrified when he then chose to study literature at university, expecting him to study for a trade. However, encouraged by his English teacher, he persisted and graduated in 1982 from the University of Edinburgh, where he also worked on a doctorate on Muriel Spark but did not complete it. He lived in Tottenham, London, for four years and then rural France for six while he developed his career as a novelist. Before becoming a full-time novelist, he worked as a grape picker, swineherd, taxman, alcohol researcher, hi-fi journalist, college secretary and punk musician in a band called the Dancing Pigs.

Rankin lives in Edinburgh with his wife, Miranda, whom he met at university and married in 1986, and their two sons, Jack and Kit. They live near the authors JK Rowling, Alexander McCall Smith and Kate Atkinson. Rankin appears as a character in McCall Smith's 2004 novel, 44 Scotland Street.